§ Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department has yet agreed on criteria which will prescribe the circumstances in which deaf-blind people will be treated as being unable to walk or virtually unable to walk to enable them to become entitled to mobility allowance this April.
§ Mr. ScottThe Mobility Allowance Amendment Regulations 1990, which prescribe the circumstances in which deaf-blind people will be able to qualify for the allowance, were laid before the House on 20 March. Officials have met representatives of the Mobility Allowance Campaign to discuss the regulations.
§ Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if invalid care allowance will be payable to carers of the recipients of all three rates of the new disability allowance.
§ Mr. ScottI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 12 February at col83.
§ Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if recipients of mobility or attendance allowance can be put on either of the two lowest rates of disability allowance, should their benefits be reviewed after April 1992.
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§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThe information is in the following table:
§ Mr. ScottThe qualifying criteria for the two upper levels of the care component of the disability allowance and the upper level of the mobility component will be on lines similar to those currently employed for attendance allowance and mobility allowance. The intention is that people now receiving attendance allowance and mobility allowance will continue to receive help at the same rates as under current arrangements if their condition is unchanged. In addition, in common with other disabled people, current attendance allowance recipients will also be eligible to claim the new lower rate of the mobility component of the disability and current mobility allowance recipients will be eligible to claim the new lower rate of the care component.
§ Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether mobility allowance will be payable to claimants who are terminally ill with a life expectancy of less than 12 months if they satisfy the other criteria for receiving mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottYes. Possible life expectancy is not taken into account in deciding how long a person is likely to continue to meet the medical eligibility criteria for the allowance.